The master drummer and educator Kwasi Dunyo (left) will lead workshops on music, culture and pedagogy during an upcoming visit to SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, from Dec. 3 to 5.
SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music will welcome the master Ghanaian drummer Kwasi Dunyo for an upcoming music education residency.
Discover the excitement and joy of traditional Ghanaian styles of music and dance! All are invited to drum, dance and sing along with the visiting musician, who will lead a range of free workshops and events from Monday, Dec. 3 to Wednesday, Dec. 5.
During his visit, Dunyo will explore topics such as drumming instruction for young children, business and life in Ghana, and the music of Africa. Dunyo will also work on technique with the Crane Latin Ensemble and the Crane West African Drum and Dance Ensemble. Area K-12 music educators and students have been invited to join in the educational events as well.
All workshops are free and open to the public. For more information, including a full schedule, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/MusicEd/guestsandevents.
Dunyo’s visit to Potsdam is made possible through the Joy Anthony Douglass Visiting Master Teacher Fund, which was established by Joy Anthony Douglass ’56 to honor the transformative experiences she had as a student during her time at Crane. The fund enables visiting master teachers to share their insights and expertise with Crane School of Music students and faculty, as well as music educators from throughout the region.
About the visiting master teacher:
Kwasi Dunyo was born at the Ewe village of Dagbamete, in the Volta region of Ghana. He has been playing the drums from the time he could barely reach the top of them. Since then, he has directed, coached, taught, drummed and danced extensively in a variety of contexts.
Dunyo was the lead drummer for Sankofa Dance Theatre from 1977 to 1981, where, under the tutelage of Godwin Agbeli, he learned much of his repertoire of Ghanaian music. In 1992, Kwasi Dunyo was the recipient of a Visiting Foreign Artist Grant from the Canadian government, which provided the basis for his first trip to North America. Dunyo's open and generous teaching style and his love of music has earned him praise.
He is a member of the faculties of York University, the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Toronto District School Board. Dunyo has also performed and given workshops at many Canadian and American universities. He is a member of the Society of Ethnomusicology of North America.
About The Crane School of Music:
Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York’s only All-Steinway institution. For more information, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.
Arts & Culture